2021 NFL Draft stock up: Five players who stock is rising

Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota

A player who quietly had a great season is Minnesota defensive end Boye Mafe. In just six games this the junior recorded 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. His average of 0.75 sacks a game placed him second in the Big Ten in sacks per game, and his average of 0.92 tackles for loss per game finished 18th in the conference.

Mafe has also turned heads off the field with his impressive weight room testing numbers. According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Mafe has a vertical jump of 40.5 inches. If he is able to post a similar number to this at the combine he would have the sixth-best vertical jump among defensive ends in the NFL combine’s history. To go along with his strong vertical jump numbers he also posts a 4.57 40-yard dash, which would have beat any defensive end’s time in last year’s draft class.

While he has the raw tools to make an NFL team next year, Mafe might be best off by returning to school next year. This is due to the fact that he is still working off of natural ability and needs to refine his game. One area he especially needs to work on is his hand use as he doesn’t have a ton of pass-rushing moves.

I would also like to see him improve his instincts, as he can be slow to react at times. If he returns to Minnesota next year and posts double-digit sacks, I could see him moving from a day-three prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft to a possible late first-rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft.